Sugar beet pickup machine



A. J. POPPIE SUGAR BEET PICKUP MACHINE Dec. 26, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb, 6, 1948 .eR N mm m J m n l A Dec. 26, 1950 A. J. POPPIE SUGAR BEET PICKUP MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 6, 1948 INVENTOR. 4016:.

A mmzy:

Alfred J. Popplle BY Z4 WWW Dec. 26, 1950 A. J. POPPIE 2,535,598

SUGAR BEET PICKUP MACHINE Filed. Feb. 6, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Alfred J. Poppie JNVENTOR.

am WWZYM Patented Dec. 26, 1950 umreo :orriicr:

JTSJUG ARQBEET. PICKUP; MACHINE Alf-red iIfiPoppie, San Francisco, 'Calif., assignor some-fifteenth :to Mary .ciscohCalif.

Application February 6, 1948, Serial No. 6,592

ic-oiaims. (classer) This invention relates generally to harvester nnachines. and more gparticularly to suga r beet :harvesting machine for use with atractorhaving aspower take-on; and a hopper.

niprimaryiobject of -thisginvention is to provideabeet harvesting machine which maybe used with -many types of itractorsgthe machine having means adapting the same for-accuratezver- :tical adjustment with reference to the ;frame of :the tractor, so qthat the .machine ;may be vprop- :erly "positioned according 'jtO varying :GOnditions,

t=hsucht aswthe size of the beets 'and thenature of 313118 :ground in therfield Qf gbeets being harvested. Another object {of :this invention is to provide rimprovedibeehengaging means-in Which a curved plate and curvedqbeetihipaling hook structure is employed, thisrstructure providing for effective *tv'ithdrawal of the beets from the ,ground, without undue mutilation of :the beets.

Still another object ofithi invention isto comriiyz-mounted-and adjusted on .a't-r-actor, and as easily removed therefrom, all without modificagtion of the tractor.

And a last object ,to be I mentioned specifically :is :to provide a :sugar Joeet harvesting machine which is relatively inexpensive and. practicabletto manufactureiwhichris extremelysimple and very {safe to operate, andvwhichflwill give generallyeflitcient and it durable service.

With these objects. definitely in .view, thisin- 'vention resides in certain novel features l of construction, combination and arrangement of .elements and portions as will behelfelnafter "described in the, specification, particularly ,pointed out in the appended claims, .andlillustrated in the .accompanyingdr-awings vvhichiorm a maitcrialpart oithis application, andinwhich:

;iE'ign1;e 1 is aside elevational viewcof a tractor :withe honherand "this invention oneratively gplie'd *thereto "Figuregz is an enlarged iverticalgsectional view -of ,the structure .showninthe leitehand side of jFigureal;

jEigure Bis a front. elevational .view of the main portions r of the ,frame, the endless elevator and vlmocker, together Withpower'transmissionmeans the .numeralM.

therefor, the :oonnection or the ilower rshaft with the mower itakeeofi ;means of the tractor ;=being -somewhat diagrammatically 1: illustrated by fihevcl t=gea-rs :enclosedzin-at ear casinggshown in vertical section;

FEigure 4518a; fragmentary enlarged "detail view, of a. :portionsof ther'rear axlerhousingeandgpower take-pit means, the L'figure :bein-g vvertical :sec- -tional in character :and taken :onthe .iline at -+4 ainzFiguregl .11Figure 5 :is a side televational -r-view :of .aa :rnain portion of the frame structure;

Figure; 6-is an enlarged fragmentary detailrvview showing.asinglerplateand contiguous portions :of w-th-e endless elevator;

i-Figure Tis a ,zstilltfurther enlarged wievvygvertical :sect-ionalfin character. and .taken'on a transverse :plane through the line 1"'! i in Eigurefi;

:Figure 533 is :13 three dimensional view a of itihe :iknocker and Figureallis a three dimensional tviewzof ;one not :the :adjustable journal 1 members :gused zti) l mount -;the [idler sprocket wheels on the: uppertizendcoflthe yframe structureillustrated-inzFligulievfi.

fSimilar r'OhaBaQtBI'SwQf reference designatesim- ,ilar *Qr :iidentical elements and portions through- 10111 the-specification and throughout the several :views of the: drawings.

;;Reerrin g ,now to ;the drawings win detail, the aenvironment wherewith this invention is adapted to :be "used includes a ktractor generally indicated by the numeral lll-andlhavin ta frame l"2,-;a"rear ;axl e housing 14 and :a -power take-01f ,r-mechaj'nism i-ncluding-a doublepulley l 6. Thisenvironment will alsoiincludea hopper I8 of conventional 'designtandordinarilytassociated with an elevator til-mounted in-any suitablevmanneras indicated JQYFSHDDOl'fiDg frame structure 122,:and it "will he understood that the specific construction for v the xforegoing(parts i is mot-thoughtof tasmaterialyiin ,zthis application.

.This invention contemplates provision ofsuitable hraeketsupports 24 ,for .atshaft -26 to the driven by :a pair of pulleys x28 mounted on :this

.shaft and associated-with belts. iillentrainedtunon the ,power tztakeeofi pulleys -15. .The .rear tendcof the ;s'haft@26is provided ,with, a universal 1011113312 and an extensible drive shaft 34 is connectcd jgy means of another v universal .joint 36 to 1'3; short drive shaft 38. This last 1 mentioned short drive shaft ,38 is mounted inrsuitable bearings and ,within ,a gear casing o ,40: on the ,lower --,end of one or the parallelaframe members. 42, .theilattcricar- ,rying an. endless elevatorgenerally indicated :hy

The frame of this beet harvesting machine must be made vertically adjustable and a preferred means of accomplishing this vertical adjustment is illustrated as including a pair of parallel bars 46 terminally pivoted as at 48 and 50 on the frame I2 and having the rear ends thereof pivoted on a sub-frame member comprised of vertical lateral bars 52, horizontal rearwardly extending bars 54 and inclined brace bars 55, this sub-frame extending transversely of the tractor and behind the same. The tractor It will ordinarily be equipped with hoist means and this hoist means, generally indicated by the numeral 56, is connected to the parallel bar structure as by an inflexible link or links 60, whereby the said subframe may be raised and lowered relative to the frame I2 of the tractor.

A double bladed sub-surface hoe 62 of conventional design is carried by subtending arms 64 rigidly mounted on the sub-frame, and this hoe 62 is used to loosen beets from the ground.

The said sub-frame is also provided with rearwardly extending plate members 66 which are apertured as indicated at 68 to receive bolts 'I'I whereby bracket attachment plates I2 rigidly secured to the lower ends of the frame members 42 are adjustably mounted upon these plates 65. Intermediate the ends of the members 42, a pair of inflexible links I4 ar terminally secured thereto, the forward and upper ends of these links being secured to any adjacent frame structure such as that indicated at 22.

The endless elevator 44 will now be described. A lower shaft '56 is journalled in adjustable bearings I8 held. by bolts 8!! in slot 82 in the lower ends Figure 6, are each provided with longitudinally extending pins lei! retained by cotter keys IEH Within the turned edges 33 and the chains 90 are provided with apertured plates IE2 to receive these pins, whereby the plates are carried by the chains. The plates 98 are arched outwardly and these plates are somewhat resilient to allow the plates 98 to flex slightly during operation of the machine, and the plates I02 may be slotted as at I04 so that the pins lfiii may move relative to the plates Hi2 within predetermined limits.

Each of the plates 533 carries a plurality of arched beet impaling hooks I86, it being noted that the hooks and the plates 98 are somewhat similarly arched, that is, they ar arched in the same sense, and these hooks SE15 are replaceably secured by screws H33 adjacent the edge of the plates 98 which is the trailing edge of the plate when the elevator is in operation. It will be clear that the plates 98 will usually contact the beets I II] and if reference is had to Figure 1, it will be The frame members 42 are connected by transverse braces I I4 and the upper ends of the extending frame members II 2 are connected by a transverse top brace member II6. Sprocket wheels I! 8 are connected terminally on the shaft 94 and idler sprocket wheels I28 are mounted on adjustable journal members I22, best illustrated in Figure 9, having attachment plates I24 apertured as at I26 to eceive bolts I28 which are inserted through slots lBll shown in Figure 5 in the upper end portion of the extending frame members l 52. The sprocket wheels #20 and H8 are operatively linked by the chains I32 and bearings Hi l are mounted intermediate the ends of these extending frame members I 2 in a knocker comprised of short stub axle members I36 mounted in the bearings I 34 and having sprocket wheels I33 engaging the chains I32, lateral spacer bars Mil rigidly secured to the inner ends of the stub axle members I3 5 and a pair of rigid bars I42 terminally secured to the spacer bars M0 and disposed transverseiy of the machine and between the extending frame members H2, is thus adapted to knock beets iiil from the beet impaling hooks I536 as these hooks reach the top of the endless elevator 84, the beets being knocked into the hopper 58. It is preferred that the proportioning of the various sprocket wheels and chains be such that one of the inflexible bars 5422 of the knocker will traverse the top of the endless conveyor lid each time a plate 98 with its hooks 5% reaches the top of the elevator, and it is also preferred that the knocker shall rotate at a speed suihcient to strike the beets with sufficient force to drive the same positively from the hooks 565 into the hopper iii.

The operation of this invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing description of the mechanical details thereof, taken in connection with the above recitation of the objects sought to be achieved by this invention. It is clear that the structure described will amply accomplish the recited objects and it will also now be evident that this machine may be adapted to harvest several rows of beets at one time and that the knocker will tend to knock the earth from these beet so that the beets on reaching'the hopper I8 are reasonably clear of soil originally clinging thereto. It will also be evident that this machine will not pick up rocks or other material not capable of being impaled by the hooks I08. The above description would seem to be suiiicient to allow others to make and to use this invention and further description is, therefore, deemed unnecessary.

Many minor variations may be made in the detail of construction and the proportionment of the various elements of this invention all without departure from the spirit and scope thereof, and the scope of this invention should be determined according to a proper interpretation of the subjoined claims.

Having described the claimed as new is:

1. A sugar beet harvesting machine for use invention, what is with a tractor having a power take-off and a hopper, comprising a frame se'curable to a tractor, an endless elevator operably mounted on said frame and driven by said power take-off, beet engaging means carried by said elevator, a rotating knocker, operatively mounted on said frame to knock the beets from said means into said hopper, said frame including a pair of nearly upright members, and said knocker including a pair of bars spaced equally from and carried by a shaft mounted transversely of and between said upright members.

2. A sugar beet harvesting machine for use with a tractor having a power take-ofi and a hopper, comprising a frame securable to a tractor, an endless elevator operably mounted on said frame and driven by said power take-off, a plurality of spaced plates disposed transversely of and carried by said elevator, a plurality of transversely spaced beet impaling hooks carried by each of said plates, and a rotating knocker operatively mounted on said frame to knock the beets from said hooks.

3. A sugar beet harvesting machine for use with a tractor having a power take-off and a hopper, comprising a frame securable to a trac tor, an endless elevator operably mounted on said frame and driven by said power take-01f, a plurality of spaced plates disposed transversely of and carried by said elevator, a plurality of transversely spaced beet impaling hooks carried by each of said plates, said hooks being each arched relative to said plats, and a rotating knocker operatively mounted on said frame to knock the beets from said hooks.

4. A sugar beet harvesting machine for use with a tractor having a power take-off and a hopper, comprising a frame securable to a tractor, an endless elevator operably mounted on said frame and driven by said power-take-off, a plurality of spaced plates disposed transversely of and carried by said elevator, and a plurality of transversely spaced beet impaling hooks carried by each of said plates, said plates and hooks being each arched outwardly, said plates being resilient, and a rotating knocker operatively mounted on said frame to knock the beets from said hooks.

5. A sugar beet harvesting machine for use with a tractor having a power take-off and a hopper, comprising a frame secureable to a tractor, an endless elevator operably mounted on said frame and driven by said power take-01f, a plurality of spaced plates disposed transversely of and carried by said elevator, and a plurality of transversely spaced beet impaling hooks carried by each of said plates, said plates and hooks being each arched said plates being resilient and said hooks being secured to the plates adjacent the trailing edges of the plates when the elevator is in operation, and a rotating knocker operatively mounted on said frame to knock the beets from said hooks.

6. A machine according to claim 3 and wherein said elevator includes a pair of endless lateral chains; said plates being secured at two spaced points to said chains.

ALFRED J. POPPIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,093,148 Hoofnagie Sept. 14, 1937 2,172,507 Grignolo Sept. 12, 1939 2,428,904 Zuckerman Oct. 14, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,227 Sweden Sept. 17, 1898 137,468 Great Britain Jan. 15, 1920 40,792 Denmark Sept. 16, 1929 

